FOCUS is
the free on-line newsletter which gives you the tools and strategies to
achieve greater success at work and at home.
This issue
discusses how to make Active Listening work for you.
AT WORK:
You’ve
just presented your proposal for the establishment of a corporate
wellness program to the Executive Committee. Your boss says:” Well you
certainly left no stone unturned.
They could see you really did your homework on this
one.” What he’s
really saying is : “You bored them to
death with too many details.
Didn’t you see them yawning?”
AT HOME:
Imagine asking your spouse how he or she would feel about having some
coworkers over for dinner on the weekend. Your spouse replies:
“Great. I bet
they’d love your special barbecue chicken with your homemade
barbecue sauce.” What
your partner is really saying is: “Fine with me, but you do the
cooking.”
LISTENING IS NOT SO SIMPLE:
Listening is such a routine everyday activity most people give it
little or no thought. But
effective listening isn’t that simple. It’s a skill few people think
of developing or strengthening.
Yet, it can have tremendous impact on success at work and at
home.
To be effective,
listening needs to be an active endeavor. When you know how to actively
listen, you have more effective 2 way communication. Listening is also a key factor in
understanding and influencing other people. It’s an important
relationship builder.
WHAT IS ACTIVE LISTENING:
Active
listening isn’t just hearing what is said. It’s processing what is
said. It’s reading
between the lines and figuring out what the other person is really saying…what they
mean. Hearing is a passive
activity; just be within earshot and you hear what is said. Active
Listening takes effort.
LISTENING AS
COMMUNICATION:
How you
listen conveys almost as much as how you talk. It demonstrates your level of
interest, degree of understanding and extent of your agreement.
Your facial
expression, body language, whether your hear them out or interrupt,
what questions you ask: all convey your thoughts and feelings about
the topic under discussion.
Active Listening
is one of the best ways to bank relationship capital with another
person. Maintain eye contact, nod, change facial expression.
TEN TIPS FOR
ACTIVE LISTENING:
1.
Listen for key ideas & themes.
2.
Concentrate on substance not style.
3.
Don’t interrupt.
4.
Avoid distractions & don’t multitask.
5.
Take mental notes.
6.
Read body language.
7.
Sense feelings along with ideas.
8.
Read between the lines.
9.
Ask questions.
10.
Withhold judgment until the end.
Like any skill,
Active Listening can be learned and strengthened so it becomes
another tool for success.
Think of a recent situation at work or home where Active
Listening would have benefited you.
Click on hh@henriettaharrison.com
and I’ll show you how to make Active Listening work for you.
